Honey Sesame Almonds – Three Ways

Almonds.

Delicious and nutritious, yes, but hardly party food…

…until we add a little sparkle =)

(Ew I’m sorry.  I meant sesame seeds.)

No fuss, no nonsense.  Just quick and easy..ready?

Take this sad, lonely little guy..

..plus 1 1/2 cups of his closest raw-almond friends and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

Don’t do anything to them!  They don’t need oil and they don’t need seasoning yet.  10 minutes later you have perfectly roasty toasty almonds that I could eat all day just like that.

It gets better.

Add whatever seasoning you want.  Get creative! Almost any combination works.  Honey is a real sweetie and gets along with most things. 😉

I tried cinnamon

and spice

(garlic, chile powder, cayenne and salt)

and coated both in honey/brown sugar delight.

I also left one batch unseasoned…just honey and sesame.  They are absolutely every bit as good as the spiced versions.

You can spend as little or as much time on this as you have/can/want. It’s all about that sesame seed coat.

You COULD just throw the sesame seeds on top, give it a stir and be done.  They’ll be unevenly coated, slightly sticky and absolutely delicious.

OR you could take your sweet time.

Tossed in small batches they get perfectly even sesame seed coats, they aren’t sticky at all and they’re absolutely delicious.

It works either way, pick your poison.

Spread them out and let them dry a bit.  It really only takes a minute.

That’s all!  In 15 minutes you can make a fun little treat to share.  Make them as a last minute appetizer.  Make them to munch on tonight to keep that champagne under control.  Make them because they’re tasty and crunchy and satisfying which is as good a reason as any.

Then, accidentally eat them all because they’re perfectly sweet and salty and you can’t stop.

It’s ok, tomorrow is a new year. =)

Here’s to you.

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Honey Sesame Almonds

1 1/2 cup raw almonds1/2 cup honey2 tablespoons brown sugar1/4 teaspoon saltenough toasted sesame seeds to coat…it depends on your method and your preference 1/2 cup – 1 cup roughly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Spread almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the almonds smell/taste toasty and have very slightly darkened in color.  Be careful!  They burn quickly.
3. While the almonds toast,  put the honey, sugar and salt in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely and the mixture is a little runnier than just plain honey
4. ((If you’re adding spices…toss toasted, cooled almonds in spices before coating in honey.  See spice combos below.))  Spoon honey mixture over toasted almonds in a medium bowl and stir until evenly coated.  Add one spoonful at a time until the almonds have a thin coat of honey. If you just dump all the honey on top you might find yourself in a sticky situation…ha!
5. Either shake some sesame seeds over the honey-coated almonds and stir (for a quick, uneven coat) or transfer just a few almonds at a time to a bowl of sesame seeds, toss to coat and transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to dry.

Cinnamon Honey Sesame Almonds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for 1 1/2 cups almonds)

1. Toss the toasted almonds in 1 tablespoon cinnamon (for 1 1/2 cups almonds) before coating with honey.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly distribute the cinnamon with the honey.  You could also stir the cinnamon into the honey before coating to ensure even coverage.  (I didn’t do that because I was making a couple of different batches with my honey)
2. Complete the process as described above

Savory Honey Sesame Almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder1 tablespoon chile powder1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1. Whisk all spices together until well combined
2. Toss the toasted almonds in the spice mixture before coating with honey.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly distribute the spices with the honey.  You could also stir the spices into the honey before coating to ensure even coverage.  (I didn’t do that because I was making a couple of difference batches with my honey)
3. Complete the process as described above